‘NCIS: New Orleans’ Kills off Major Character in Episode 6

NCIS: New Orleans lost one of their own during Tuesday’s surprising new episode. The CBS crime procedural’s sixth episode of Season 6 shocked fans after a personal mission for one of the members of the team turned deadly, and ended with the character dying and leaving his friends, and viewers, in shock.

Spoilers ahead for NCIS: New Orleans Season 6, Episode 6 “Matthew 5:9”

The episode followed as special agent Christopher Lasalle (Lucas Black) went on a mission to avenge his brother Cade’s murder as he followed the trail of a drug ring in Alabama he believed was responsible for the crime.

Lasalle runs into a woman early in the episode who leads I’m into the cabin where his brother was murdered. As he examined the blood-stained floor, the pair were surprised by a gunman who attacked Lasalle’s companion. The NCIS agent pushed her away of the shot before attempting to attack the man.

The heroic act ended in tragedy as Lasalle was shot several times during the heartbreaking moment.

Shortly after the tragic shooting, Pride (Scott Bakula) arrived on the scene and had his friend airlifted to a nearby hospital. The episode then saw as Lasalle fought to survive the surgery, and he even woke up at one point when Loretta (CCH Pounder) visited him.

The visit was cut short in the west way when the monitor started to beep and he lost consciousness, waking up in a dream and finding his late brother Cade.

“Let’s go fishing Cade,” Lasalle said. At the hospital, the team watched in horror as the doctors performed CPR unsuccessfully until he pronounced dead.

“We’re off on a dramatic change in our world here for Season 6,” Bakula told TVLine of the big twist in an interview released after the episode.

Black broke his silence on his exit from the series, telling the outlet: “The show has been so good to me over the years. It exceeded my expectations and goals, but this job isn’t easy for me. There’s a lot of priorities in my life that get sacrificed for me to be here.”

“It’s time for me to focus on those priorities in my life,” he added.

Black was a part of the show since the backdoor pilot episode of NCIS that aired in 2014. He is the latest cast exit for the CBS drama after Shalita Grant who left the series in Season 4.

NCIS: New Orleans airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.